Apple's New Software For iPhones And iPads, iOS 7, Launches Wednesday September 18

iOS 7, Apple's new operating system for Apple's iPhones and iPads, will launch on Wednesday, September 18, as a free download.

It's a bright and colorful change from the current OS and it'll be quite a change from the old default wallpaper of gray bubbles. All the apps and menus have been completely redesigned with a more modern look.

Siri got so redesigned that you'll never recognize her. It can now search Twitter, Wikipedia, and the web.

In fact, almost everything got a cosmetic makeover. The phone app's buttons are now circular, the weather app got a beautiful new set of artwork so that its background shows a picture of whatever the sky's doing, and even the compass app got a revamp.

The Notifications Center got a modern and user-friendly makeover. It functions as something more akin to Google Now, keeping track of your calendar items and the weather, calling your attention to what it thinks you need to know.

On a slightly more technical, iOS 7 brings Flickr and Vimeo integration to the table. Great news for any photo- or video-happy iPhone owners.

Apple is also rolling out a Spotify/Pandora-like service called iTunes Radio. It's free to users but ad-supported.

I've wanted Apple to add easy access to settings like WiFi, Bluetooth, and Airplane mode for a long time. It finally added that with control center, which you get from swiping up on the screen from the bottom. In addition to that stuff, you get easy access to the clock, calculator, flashlight, and camera. Previously, I had the settings app, the clock app, and the camera app on my home screen. I can now stuff them in a folder at the back of my iPhone and make room for other apps. This is great news for me, and it's great news for developers who have a better shot at getting to the all-important front screen of the iPhone.